The NBA has suspended 23-year old shooting guard J.R. Smith for the first 7 games of the NBA season due to him pleading guilty to a reckless driving accident in 2007 that killed his best friend. Smith played in 81 games (18 starts) for the Nuggets last season and he averaged 27.7 minutes, 15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Smith has now played in 218 games (42 starts) in his three years with the Nuggets in which he has averaged 23.6 minutes, 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. The Nuggets will miss Smith’s long range shooting while he is out of action.

The Nuggets have re-signed 23-year old center Johan Petro. Petro played in 27 games (10 starts) for the Nuggets last season and he averaged 8.0 minutes, 2.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. He has now played in 270 games (104 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 17.3 minutes, 5.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. This was a good signing for the Nuggets as Petro should give them solid depth in the middle.

The Nuggets have re-signed 33-year old point guard Anthony Carter to a 1-year deal. Carter played in 78 games (5 starts) with the Nuggets last season and he averaged 22.9 minutes, 5.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. In parts of three seasons with the Nuggets, Carter has played in 150 games (72 starts) in which he has averaged 25.2 minutes, 6.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. It was smart for the Nuggets to bring back Carter who is playing the best basketball of his career right now.

The Denver Nuggets have lost 24-year old F/G Linas Kleiza to the Greek Team Olympiakos as he signed a 2-year, $12.2 million dollar deal with the team. Kleiza played in 82 games (7 starts) for the Nuggets last season and he averaged 22.2 minutes, 9.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. In four years with the Nuggets, Kleiza played in 301 games (36 starts) in which he averaged 19.0 minutes, 8.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. This will definately hurt the Nuggets’ bench as Kleiza was a solid player for them.

The Nuggets have traded 27-year old center Steven Hunter and a first round pick in the 2010 NBA Draft for a future second round pick. The reason for this move is that it will save the Nuggets $7.4 million bucks due to the luxury tax. Hunter didn’t play at all last season for the Nuggets as he had some serious knee problems. He played in 19 games (2 starts) in his two years with the Nuggets and he averaged 6.3 minutes, 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. This was a smart move for the Nuggets despite the fact that they had to give up a first round pick.